Why do the Scriptures say things like....

[Nick316]

Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

I notice that skeptics take that time to hop on and say that God was really just a military leader or something. They also try to say that verses like that support the idea that YHWH was originally a war god from some polytheistic cultures.

Any help?

 

[St_Worm2]

Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

I notice that skeptics take that time to hop on and say that God was really just a military leader or something. They also try to say that verses like that support the idea that YHWH was originally a war god from some polytheistic cultures.

Any help?

The "skeptics" will say anything and everything they can to try to punch holes in the religion and the God they hate so much. So whenever talking to this kind of person about the faith, always keep in mind the commandment from Matthew 7:6 and don't let it get out of hand.

That said, I would probably point out that the words "The Lord is a warrior" from Exodus 15 are words from a song that Moses and the people of Israel sung to exult the Lord who had saved them from a mighty enemy. The Lord fought to protect His people.

As far as the Lord being "a war god" from some culture that believes in many "gods", I would recite Isaiah 43:10b-11 to them. IOW, there is only ONE God, period.

--David

"Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.
I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me.
Isaiah 43:10b-11​

 

[Nick316]

The "skeptics" will say anything and everything they can to try to punch holes in the religion and the God they hate so much. So whenever talking to this kind of person about the faith, always keep in mind the commandment from Matthew 7:6 and don't let it get out of hand.

That said, I would probably point out that the words "The Lord is a warrior" from Exodus 15 are words from a song that Moses and the people of Israel sung to exult the Lord who had saved them from a mighty enemy. The Lord fought to protect His people.

As far as the Lord being "a war god" from some culture that believes in many "gods", I would recite Isaiah 43:10b-11 to them. IOW, there is only ONE God, period.

--David

"Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.
I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me.
Isaiah 43:10b-11​

True, true. I notice that they seem almost desperate to try and bring down the Bible. Thanks for the answer, but I'm still not quite sure why this verse refers to the Lord as a "man" in that verse.

-Nick

 

[St_Worm2]

I'm still not quite sure why this verse refers to the Lord as a "man" in that verse.

It doesn't. God is referred to here not as a "man", but as a "man of war", which was (and still is) a common way of saying He is a "warrior" (as the NASB, HCSB, NIV, NLT, etc. all render the phrase).

Remember that this song is a narrative poem. To call God a "man of war" is an anthropomorphism. This stanza is not meant to tell us what God is not, a "man", but rather, what He is, a "Warrior" for, and the Savior of, His people. He is "The Lord, mighty in battle" (Psalm 24:8; Exodus 14:14) who had just proven Himself so as He alone destroyed the most powerful armed force on the planet.

--David

"God is not a man..."
Numbers 23:19a​